The women’s section of Bolton Arena celebrated a stunning double victory across the last two weekends, securing two trophies in the 40’s and 50’s age groups at the Women’s WFLA National Finals.
In what are considered some of the toughest finals, teams must first win a qualifying event to earn a spot in the highly competitive finals day. The Bolton Arena 40’s team kicked off their campaign in spectacular style, beating every opponent with confidence. Ruth Harrison emerged as the top scorer, while Fiona Dransfield’s last-minute winner against Collingham helped clinch the title. The team’s excellent passing game created a wealth of opportunities, and keeper Jo’ Phillips was heroic between the posts, conceding just one goal across all matches.
The 50’s squad followed suit on Sunday afternoon, proving just as formidable. In several games, they left it late, with Mac Barlow sealing critical victories with single goals. The side’s football was outstanding, and opposing teams struggled to break their rhythm. Captain Sharon Entwistle contributed a vital last-minute winner against Bracknell, while player of the day Sue Kenyon was a dual threat, solid at the back and dangerous going forward. Two more wins by 2-0 and 8-0 cemented Bolton’s well-deserved trophy.
Their success doesn’t stop there. Bolton Arena’s O40s squad advanced to the regional round of the newly introduced FA National Cup at the prestigious William Foster venue in Wigan. Competing against a strong field, they found themselves neck and neck with local rivals Blackburn Rovers, with the two sides finishing tied at 2-2 in their head-to-head match. With the group winner determined by a playoff, Bolton’s goalkeeper Ell Thornton became the hero. Having been praised for her exceptional distribution during the group stages Ell’ saved two penalties and even scoring her own after Ruth Harrison coolly converted the first.
Team captain Danni Toward praised Blackburn’s players but admitted that Bolton struggled to find their rhythm in the playoff. “We ended 0-0, so it came down to penalties. Thankfully, Ell was outstanding,” she said.
Women’s manager, Gary Jackson, expressed his pride: “Every Arena player was brilliant today.
Bolton Arena’s Football Manager Marcus Brown beamed, ‘We have to all pinch ourselves to reminds us that our women’s squad is just three years since formation yet has amassed so much silverware inc’ league titles, national cup success and even a number of international players. We are as always, delighted with yet another success by these incredible women.”
With their FA Cup dream alive, the squad now turns their focus to their next challenge: St. George’s Park and the F.A. Cup Finals
